Lack Book Reviews, but Want to Advertise? This Article Is for You!

While most authors want to advertise their books, it’s often difficult to find sites that will accept books that have few or no reviews. Well, fear not. Today, we’re going to list a few sites that have specific advertising geared at new releases that don’t have reviews, or generally accept books with few or no reviews.

We’ll start with new release advertising. Let’s say your book is just out and you want to advertise it, or the book is on pre-order and you want to schedule some ads for release week. Many of the advertising sites that perform well have a minimum number of reviews they require before they will even consider your submission. A book just released, or one that is on pre-order, is unlikely to have reviews. The good news is, you can schedule some “new release” advertising. (Please note, most sites do not accept pre-order advertising, but will allow you to input the pre-order link to schedule an ad for a date after the book’s release.)

Many sites that have strict review requirements waive them for new releases. What is considered a new release varies from site to site, but usually a book in its first month of publication will qualify for new release advertising. Some sites will consider books “new releases” for as long as 150 days. Here are a few sites you can check out.

Kindle Books and Tips [http://fkbt.com/for-authors/] offers new release advertising, waiving the review requirements. However, it limits new release posts to the weekends, so if you’re offering a sale on the new release, be sure one of the sale dates follows on a Saturday or Sunday. The Fussy Librarian [http://www.thefussylibrarian.com/for-authors/] and Many Books [http://manybooks.net/manybooks-author-faq] waive their review requirements for new releases IF the author has one previously published book that has a specific number of reviews (check each site for details). Ebook Soda [http://www.ebooksoda.com/authors/requirements/], Booktastik [http://booktastik.com/pricing-sale-estimates/], Ebook Betty [http://ebookbetty.com/authors/], and PeopleReads [http://www.peoplereads.com/new-release-listing] all have special new release advertising that waive review requirements. People Reads is especially generous, allowing books up to 150 days old to be considered new releases.

Let’s say your book isn’t new enough to be considered a “new release,” but still doesn’t have the reviews to meet the requirements of a lot of sites. Well, there are a few sites that don’t have review requirements for books they feature.

EbookHounds has a program called Diamond in the Ruff [http://www.ebookhounds.com/diamonds-in-the-ruff/] for books that don’t meet review requirements. Choosy Bookworm [https://choosybookworm.com/newsletter-and-website-feature/] specifically notes it will take books with no or few reviews. The sites ReadFreely [http://www.readfree.ly/submityourfreebook/] and eReader News Today [http://ereadernewstoday.com/requirements/#] note that books aren’t required to have a specific number of reviews before being submitted. This doesn’t mean that a book with few reviews will definitely get accepted. It does mean, however, that a good book that just hasn’t caught on, may get a shot at advertising, where on other sites it wouldn’t even have been considered because of the review requirement. The Fiverr seller BKnights [https://www.fiverr.com/bknights] also does promotion without any review requirements.

Don’t forget, you don’t need a certain number of reviews to participate with Thrifty Thursday right here on Indies Unlimited, where you can also post your pre-order book.

These are just a handful of sites to get you started. Want this in an easy-to-use list with clickable links? Check out our new resource page. And good luck with advertising your book.

Author: RJ Crayton

RJ Crayton is a former journalist turned novelist. By day, she writes thrillers with a touch of romance. By night, she practices the art of ninja mom. To learn more about her or her books, visit her website or her Author Central page. View all posts by RJ Crayton